Newsletter - May 2009

Dear Friends of Christian Schooling Around the World:

MISSION NEWS UPDATE

Partners for Learning Across Cultures partners with Hillside Community Church, churches, and individuals in realizing the mission/vision of enabling children and young people to know God, better understand His world, and live their lives to gloify Him through obedient service. The information below informs you about some of the latest developments.

Liberia

Jonathan and Comfort Enders prepare Kingdom Foundation Institute (KFI) to initiate a Christian educator course of study. The program will be taught by three Calvin College Education Department professors. The Enders anticipate approximately 50 Christian educators from Liberia and other West African nations. This will be a first Christian educators program for Liberia and its neighboring nations. Professor Jim Jadrich, a member of Hillside will travel with join two other education professors to conduct the program.

Kingdom Foundation Students receive school supplies from Hillside Community Church, primarily from the Sunday School. Most families of of these students do not have the resources to purchase these supplies on their own.

Clean water now flows from the deep water well. Jametown Christian Reformed Church made a financial gift that made drilling this well possible.

	Books and library school equipment form Legacy Christian School helped equip Kingdom Foundation Library and classrooms. The Kingdom Foundation Institute leaders can now provide students with an environment more conducive to learning. The school now has books to assist the students in reading and doing research.
	Five water reservoirs located on top of the facility will assist Kingdom Foundation in providing good water for the children and young people at the school. It will help maintain a sanitary learning environment. A consistant flow of good water will also assist in food preparation. This picture shows the most recent work on the KFI facility.

Myanmar

Christian Reformed Church of Myanmar

Following the 9th graduation of the Reformed Theological College in Yangon of the Christian Reformed Church of Myanmar, the visiting group left on their journey to Matupi, Chin Hills to visit churches, to see and encourage several ministries of the church in the mountains and to attend the church's 24th General Assembly.

1. Buying Rice Bags

2. Leveling Ground for Hannie Memorial Prayer Center Construction Plan

After distribution of rice bags, the next day church members in Matupi came together at the site (Pahaam Bob's Compound = Uncle Bob's Compound) where the prayer center construction is intended, to level the ground for construction. A Christian lady who is the in-charge of township government authority kindly helped to get the permit to construct the center. The center will be three storey building of 60ft x 28ft. It is smaller than the first plan of Ministry Center which was never permitted to continue the construction because it was constructed on the church land. The ground floor will be for clinic and medical store room, book room for the church, and a library room. The second floor will be for Ministry Center of CRCM. Since the first plan was not successful and this plan is the alternative plan to have Ministry Center of the church. The third top floor will be used as Hannie Memorial Prayer Center. This will be opened 24 hours to all who would like to spend their times with God. The fund raising is being started and the construction will start from May 2009. Some materials collected for the Ministry Center will be used for this plan such as wood and iron rod. Enough bricks (more than 100000) have been baked and cracked stones for making concrete will be collected from every family of the church in Matupi. I am thrilled to see the church members excited to contribute what they can enthusiastically for the construction. The CRCM asks that people pray for contributions towards this great plan for the ministry of the church.

3. Dried Rice Plantation Project

In order to prevent from natural disaster such as rat, grasshopper infestation in the future and to have better crops I try to convince the mountain people to move from slash and burn shifting from a place to another place every year farming system to permanent farm plantation system. This system is to dig holes on the mountain slope 1ft deep and 1ft round wide to plant dried rice. Near a village about eight miles away from Matupi, with villagers we cleaned the mountain site and dug holes. We took red or stony soil out of the holes and put good soil, manure from pigs in the holes and made the holes ready to plant rice from the middle of April, 2009. We plan to install the pipe line to water the rice in case of drought. I spent day and night for a week at the project site to make ready the farm for the first time dried rice plantation. There are altogether 2500 holes and next year more holes will be dug again. If this plantation is successful then the whole region will follow the new system of plantation. I need some technical help for this and some supports to supplement this project in order to accomplish the plan.

4. Visiting Village Churches

After a week spending for digging holes, the visitation to village churches continued from March 8. As the weather becoming hot and walking through the very small trail leading up and down through the mountains, the visiting group felt very tired. When the group came near to every village the villagers came out to meet them on the way carrying cold water containing in gourd to quench their thirst. Dried bamboo leaves of dying bamboo as the result flowering filled the forest. Bamboo died after flowering and fell to the ground. The weather was very hot and fire started from the foot of the mountain and burned the whole mountain, but the group escaped from the fire. In two or three villages there is not enough water for washing and for drinking. We walked one and half miles to the stream to wash ourselves. Every evening at seven o'clock the worship service started. The worship service was prepared esspecially to encourage and preach the word of God to the villagers. The whole day the group traveled from one village to another village, walking up and down in the mountains, everyone became exhausted but in every village the Word was preached and people were encouraged. After worship service the villagers came together and raised questions about what they thought they should ask. Sometimes they stayed untill 1:00AM. The group experience great joy because they could visit more than fifteen villages.

5. Community Health Ministry

The Lord is good in every situation, condition and place. We are afraid of the tragedy of this broken world, but the Lord leads and strengthens his people faithfully. He prepares the ways for his people to go forward to proclaim Christ as the healer of sickness both physical and spiritual. The health workers had opportunity to go State High School in Matupi and explained about Malaria, diarrhea and other diseases and about prevention to the students. Occasionally on Sundays the health workers from Siloam had opportunity to speak with the church members. Those with illnesses came to the clinic for treatment. Clinic personnel give treatment and examination. The nurses helpe in giving medicines and shots. Recently the medicines were bought in Mandalay.

6. Orphanage Children Home

I was happy to see that the children were taken care well as much as possible by the workers. The workers who are taking care of the children are the men and young ladies who finished their education at Reformed Theological College. I am thankful to the young men and women for their dedication to take care for the children. They are grateful to the donors for the gifts they generously gave for the children. The children need food, school supplies and clothes. The health workers from the Siloam clinic kindly helped the children when they were sick and ill.

7. 24th General Assembly of CRC Myanmar

The 24th General Assembly of the Christian Reformed Church of Myanmar was held at Bethel Christian Reformed Church. The delegates from several Classes, pastors and evangelists met together 22 -27, March 2009. The theme of the General Assembly was The Holy Spirit and the Ministry of the Church. The church ordained one pastor and appointed new four probationary pastors. The General Assembly received more than one thousand new church members and 24 new workers. The General Assembly also appointed a special committee for celebration of God's grace of 25 years of ministry of the church next year 2010.

8. Orange Groves and Rubber Trees

As the weather was very hot and dry the oranges trees were dying, there was no new leaves coming up, and there was no sign of flowering. The gardener told me that when the rainy season comes the trees will again green and the leaves will come again.

9. Rubber Trees

About eight years ago rubber trees were planted in Dawei about 300 miles down south from Yangon in Thaninthazi Division. 2000 rubber trees are ready to be scratched and they have been scratched from 2007. Unfortunately the cost of latex went down last year and we pray that the cost of latex may go up this year.

10. Reformed Theological College

For the last two years 2007 and 2008 the students were instructed at two rented houses.  This year ten students graduated from the college. There are thirty two students at the college. It is possible to continue the instruction of the students at the same two rented houses. We are so thankful to the Lord for his gracious guidance and support through his children especially Friends of RTCM/CRCM. May the kingdom of Him extend further in Myanmar through this ministry.

The Reformed Theological College is the college of the Christian Reformed Church of Myanmar and is governed by the rules of the church under its own board of trustees. It is one of the associate members of Asia Theological Association (ATA) since 2005. 

Tambov, Russia

Rev. Reuben Nazarchuk and his wife Lyuba provide the back bone support to the Christian school in Tambov. They recently participated in an All Russia Evangelical Church celebration in Moscow. The Tambov church choir contributed to the worship. Lyuba encouraged other Evangelical churches to establish Christian schools for their children and young people.  A more complete report is coming.

Blessings,

John De Jager, 2065 Treeridge Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49508,  61..., jadj@iserv.net